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Outlook 2004: XQuery's Final Countdown Underway

2003-12-18

The W3C has completed its latest draft proposals for specs governing XQuery data models. The Last Call drafts for XQuery 1.0 and XPath 2.0 are available for review and open to comment until February. Except for tabling a plan for DTD-to-XML inter-communications, the W3C specifies how to create, store, recall and publish data and documents for XQuery access, and a test suite is under review. Get prepped with access to the spec, links to tools, dev (not vendor) briefings and forums.

The J2EE 1.4 spec is final, and downloads will be available Nov. 24. The finalization of J2EE 1.4 comes almost a year after it was delayed to support basic web services standards from the multi-vendor WS-I. But, some J2EE voices say it could also be the beginning of the end of Sun's long-standing separation between church and state, as Sun offers its commercial implementations of the spec. IDN spoke with Sun's Distinguished Engineer Mark Hapner.

This fall, enterprise developers of just about every stripe have some easy-to-consider options for looking to take their skills into the realm of wireless development. In just the last couple of months, a key provider of mobile infrastructure to carriers and ISPs, is now bringing their mobile SDK to some of the industry's most popular IDEs. See how Openwave's work with Microsoft, Sun and Borland could mean there it'll be easier to make mobile apps a part of your future.

SPML 1.0, an XML approach for cross-platform provisioning and for secure web services, was adopted Nov. 3 by OASIS. Supported by heavyweights IBM, Microsoft, CA, work is already underway for SPML 2.0 to bring more provisioning and security features to web services and SOA devs. Get the latest on SPML's use, the final docs, and insights from Darran Rolls, chair of the OASIS Service Provisioning Markup Language Technical Committee, for using SPML.

A small San Diego web services security firm is shipping a centrally manageable security software solution to offer developers and sysadmins single-sign-on capabilities for mixed apps using Microsoft, Java and Open Source technologies. See how cross-platform identity and security management might not have to wait for next-gen standards. Also, get the free download.

Microsoft and Sun, in two separate initiatives, are reaching out to the dynamic scripting language communities, including popular Open Source options PHP, Perl, Python and Ruby to improve the native support for such technologies in .NET and Java. IDN talks with the men behind both initiatives, and finds out how such support could speed prototyping, web services development and integration for .NET and Java.

During JavaOne, BEA Systems held a panel discussion to discuss its WebLogic 8.1 J2EE app server and tools upgrades, shipping this summer. Execs also discussed their current and future needs for better Java support to cut dev learning curves, speed app deployment and improve Java interoperability with web services, and even .NET. See how their needs stack up with yours.

Modeling may get easier for developers to implement and support since the OMG completed its work on defining UML 2.0 and MetaObjects 2.0 standards. See how the work aims to expedite use and deployment of model-based application development, especially for object- and XML-based applications in Java, .NET and CORBA-based legacy environments.

Developers now have one more assurance that they will be able to implement WS-Security across multiple platforms. The XML Security Library, an Open Source implementation of W3C's XML Digital Signature and XML Encryption (the core components of WS-Security), has released XMLSec 1.0 to developers. Get this download and other key XML security add-ons.

Enterprise developers in the financial sector will find one legacy vendor is making it easier to build web services that connect to legacy applications. Misys' Midas straight-through processing system, used by more than 800 banks and financial institutions worldwide, has opened up the gates to back-end data, applications and workflow through support for XML, SOAP, Java and VB/ASP. See what's bankable for web services development in the new release.

IBM's $2.1 billion buyout of Rational is official. Rational VP Eric Schurr told IDN what Java and Microsoft developers can expect post-merger. One big focus will be to empower the move from straight developer to "developer-as-integrator." Read the full interview here.